The Hollow Men
by EvilQueen225
Summary: The divide between the worlds of Storybrooke and Fairy Tale Land is now threatening to collapse, following a final destructive battle where many lives were lost. Emma and Regina work together to try and save the remaining survivors, including each other. Slightly AU. Inspired by T.S Eliot's 'The Hollow Men' poem. SwanQueen.
1. Chapter 1

This story was loosely inspired by T.S. Eliot's poem 'The Hollow Men'. Each chapter of the story is based on one of the five parts of the poem, which are shown in italics. The story is unbeta-ed.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of OUAT or T.S. Eliot's poem 'The Hollow Men'.

WARNING: Character death, straight from chapter one.

* * *

_We are the hollow men_

_We are the stuffed men_

_Leaning together_

_Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!_

_Our dried voices, when_

_We whisper together_

_Are quiet and meaningless_

_As wind in dry grass_

_Or rats' feet over broken glass_

_In our dry cellar_

* * *

There is a blissful moment of silence. Emma lies on the ground, her eyes shut, and just breathes.

Then suddenly she gasps as pain shoots through her body, and she can feel a terrible heat licking against her face from the fire crackling through the trees overhead. As she struggles to her feet, she becomes aware of the sounds of screaming and crying.

The surrounding forest has been decimated. A large clearing with scorch marks upon the ground indicates the location of the final battle between Rumpelstiltskin and Cora. Flames still dance through the branches of nearby trees, and there is a sickly glow hovering in the air, a remnant of the magic used. Emma is unsure what the two were fighting about, in the end. Power, she supposes, and a history of betrayal and hurt. She can only be glad that they appear to have destroyed each other.

Belle kneels in the clearing, her fingers gouging the blackened earth, as she calls desperately for her deceased lover. Emma tears her eyes away from the sight, and bile rises in her throat as she takes in the rest of the scene. There are too many bodies, lying broken and unmoving. The Blue Fairy is sprawled next to her shattered wand, and Pongo is whining as his nose nudges the hand of his fallen master.

Many of those who are still alive seem to have gone into shock. Blank, hollow eyes gaze off into the distance as Emma walks slowly through the crowd. Ruby has her arms wrapped around Snow's shoulders, and Emma realises with a jolt that a pale, motionless Charming is enfolded in her mother's embrace. Ruby's haunted gaze meets Emma's, and the woman shakes her head sadly.

Emma starts to move towards them, but her attention is drawn almost unwillingly to another figure, which is kneeling on the ground, hunched over a small body.

* * *

_Shape without form, shade without colour,_

_Paralysed force, gesture without motion;_

* * *

The sound of screaming has stopped. Everything is too quiet, and Emma can only hear the rushing in her ears and the wild thumping of her heart. She doesn't remember her limbs obeying her at all, but she is there, suddenly, collapsing on the ground. Regina is clutching Henry, her lips pressed to his forehead as she rocks him back and forth. She lifts her head to stare at Emma.

'Kiss him,' she demands in a harsh voice. Half of her face is covered in blood, which continues to trickle from a wound near her hairline. Her left arm is burnt from the tips of the fingers to the elbow. During the battle, she had been trying desperately to protect people from the evil magic that had poured out of Cora and Rumpelstiltskin.

Emma leans down, and kisses Henry's cheek, trying to express all the love she can possibly feel in that one moment. They wait, but nothing happens. She tries again and again, becoming more and more desperate, until Regina's injured hand comes to rest on her shoulder.

'I'm not giving up on him,' Emma snaps.

* * *

_Those who have crossed_

_With direct eyes, to death's other Kingdom_

_Remember us—if at all—not as lost_

_Violent souls, but only_

_As the hollow men_

_The stuffed men._

* * *

Nobody wants to admit defeat - admit that, even with magic now in this world, they are powerless to fight against death. Potions are brewed, spells are found, but nothing works. Regina, more than anyone, knows the futility of trying to raise someone from the dead, but she does not try and stop Emma from searching for a solution. Emma needs this. In the end, it is Snow who composes herself enough to call everyone together, persuading them to move on and bury their loved ones.

The funerals are held a week later. There are so many people lost that services are held over several days. Emma watches as her friends are buried beneath the earth. The Blue Fairy, Archie, Doc, Ashley… Emma feels her bitter disappointment and despair drain away until an emptiness settles inside her.

They hold a joint service for Charming and Henry. Emma stands next to Snow, in the midst of a huddle of people including Ruby and the remaining dwarves. She wants to be standing next to Regina, holding her hand and comforting one another. Regina, however, has been pushing her away, and now stands alone, arms wrapped around her torso.

Their eyes meet from across the coffins. As she stares into Regina's hollow eyes, a spike of anger bubbles up inside Emma, even as hot tears slide down her cheeks. She hates the fact that Regina seems too calm about the whole ordeal. Emma hasn't seen her cry once since the battle, and she desperately wants to witness her breaking down, or showing some type of reaction at least. Regina, however, is too numb to express any other emotion. Emma wants to be numb too.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think, and whether I should continue.


	2. Chapter 2

So sorry for the delay in chapters! I'm in my final term at uni (graduation soon – woo!), so updates will be a bit sporadic in these next couple of months as I prepare for exams. My other story, 'We are Both', should be updated soon, I hope.

The story remains unbeta-ed.

Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews, follows and favourites.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of OUAT or T.S. Eliot's poem 'The Hollow Men'.

* * *

_Eyes I dare not meet in dreams_

_In death's dream kingdom_

_These do not appear:_

_There, the eyes are_

_Sunlight on a broken column_

_There, is a tree swinging_

_And voices are_

_In the wind's singing_

_More distant and more solemn_

_Than a fading star_

* * *

When the funeral is over, and Henry and Charming have been laid to rest, the crowd of mourners begin to disband. Emma watches as Snow is led away by Ruby and the dwarves. She starts to follow them, and then hesitates, turning back around to search for Regina. The other woman has already vanished, leaving an even stronger ache in Emma's heart.

Instead of returning to Snow's apartment, she finds herself wandering, her mind in a daze as if it doesn't want to accept reality. Eventually, her feet carry her to the doorstep of the huge white mansion that Henry once called home. She fumbles for a moment before locating her key hidden at the bottom of her pocket, and walks in to a dark and empty house.

Emma climbs the stairs slowly. The door to Henry's room beckons her, but she cannot face what lies within, so turns her face away. She slips inside another room, refusing to glance back. Regina's bedroom is as dark and cold as the rest of the house, but there is an inherent familiarity about it that Emma finds comforting. A long time ago, she had been welcome in here. Before the curse was lifted, before the fighting started, she had spent many nights in that bed, curled around the warm body of her son's adoptive mother. Then the truth had emerged, and Emma couldn't forgive the lies that had spilled from Regina's lips. Even after the former Mayor had proven her dedication to changing, their relationship had been broken beyond repair.

Emma misses that comfort now. She climbs onto the bed, and lays there, waiting

It is a long time before she hears the front door open and shut, and footsteps on the stairs. Her eyes are shut, sore from the tears that had fallen throughout the day, and she holds her breath as someone enters the room, half expecting to be hurt by harsh words. Nothing is said, however, as the bed dips and Emma feels the heat from Regina's body next to her.

'I wasn't sure you were going to come back,' she confesses, opening her eyes and twisting her head to look at Regina's face. The other woman is gazing into nothingness, sitting upright with her hands clasped together. Her left arm is still burnt and damaged.

'We have another problem,' she finally tells Emma, her voice cracking.

* * *

_Let me be no nearer_

_In death's dream kingdom_

_Let me also wear_

_Such deliberate disguises_

_Rat's coat, crowskin, crossed staves_

_In a field_

_Behaving as the wind behaves_

_No nearer—_

* * *

Next morning, they gather the survivors together, back at the scene of the final battle. No-one had wanted to return to that place, but Emma had been adamant.

'You need to see this,' she had told everyone.

There, amongst the ruined trees of Storybrooke, is a shimmering opaque wall of magic. Another forest, full of trees untainted by the fight or fire, can be seen through the barrier.

'What is it?' Snow breathes.

'The Enchanted Forest,' Regina's words ring out over the crowd. 'The magic expelled in the fight was so great that it appears to have ripped a hole in the wall between the two worlds.'

The crowd begins to murmur.

'Does this mean we can go back home?' Granny asks eventually. Emma watches the scene unfold, standing close to Regina as if she could give her some form of reassurance.

'It isn't a portal,' Regina explains with a shake of her head, her voice deceptively steady. 'It's a destructive tear in the wall. The curse is disintegrating, and soon it will crumble, destroying Storybrooke completely. I've tried holding it back via magic, but we have to leave – we have to cross the town line and get as far away from here as possible.'

The reaction is immediate. People begin to shout angrily, pressing forward. Snow steps ups, face to face with Regina.

'We are not leaving our homes,' she snaps. 'I am not leaving Charming, or Henry. I'm not losing my memories. Not again. This seems like another one of your lies, or a terrible manipulative trick.'

Emma grabs hold of Regina's hand, sensing the growing tensions.

'Regina has changed,' she says defensively. 'She helped us in the final battle. She's lost someone too, as we all have. You have to believe in her. Believe in me.'

'Maybe Regina helped us because she wanted Rumpelstiltskin and Cora gone,' Snow retaliates. 'Now she's the most powerful being in town, and wants to get rid of us all.'

Emma feels anger boil through her veins. It's a welcome relief from the hurt and despair.

'I think you should all just leave, right now,' she warns.

* * *

_Not that final meeting_

_In the twilight kingdom_

* * *

Emma doesn't move as she watches the townspeople walk away. Snow lingers, her hand reaching out for her daughter's arm.

'You have to understand,' she pleads. 'We've lost too much. There's been too much death and destruction. I don't want to lose my home and my memories too.'

Emma gazes back, her expression softening.

'You're going to have to believe us eventually,' she tells her mother. 'I just hope it won't be too late when you do.'

Snow leaves and Emma realises that her hand is still clutching on to Regina's. She brings her free hand up to Regina's cheek, pressing forward until their foreheads are touching.

'I'm not sure how much more of this I can take,' she admits brokenly.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you thought.


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